iPortal2ProductSearch

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iPortal 2.

Product Search
Introduction
This section will illustrate how to take advantage of the product search features available within iPortal.
Users that have the Product Search role will be able to search and drill down to products using various
filters. Each day we continue to add more product information that will help you search and filter
products more efficiently. This section describes the various tools that are available today.

Supplier List
One feature you may find helpful is the Supplier List. You can access this list by selecting the Supplier
List link from the Main Menu.
As you may be aware many of the items found on iPortal are not manufactured by Schneider Electric.
To help improve your search we have provided a list of suppliers that may have products on our site.

All of the products that are available on iPortal from a specific supplier begin with a 3 character prefix
which may help you narrow down your search within the site. For example, if you were going to look for
some products supplied by Apollo, you can begin your search by starting with the 3 character prefix
APC.

In addition to listing each one of the suppliers you can also ‘export’ the list to Excel should you want to
reference the list when you are not logged into iPortal.

Search Box
There are two ways that you can search for products within iPortal. You can use the search box which is
available at the top of the page or you can utilize the catalog search. Lets take a closer look at the
search box features.
The search engine works by looking at your search phrase and comparing it with various product
attributes. The various product fields that the search engine looks at are:

Part Number
Product Name
Short Description

If you know the part number or at least a portion of the part number you can type this into the search
box. Once you begin typing, a list of relevant product(s) will be visible just below the search box. This is
called responsive search – meaning that the search box is responding to your key-strokes providing a list
of relevant options. The more you type, the more accurate the list.

You can either select one of the products in the list or click the Search box to produce an entire list of
products that match your search phrase.

You can also add a ‘wildcard’ to produce a list of products that ‘start with’ a partial part number. The
wildcard for the search box is a *.
For example, if you want to produce a list of products that begin with i286, you would type i286* in the
search box and click Search. Once you do so, a list of products that match that search criteria will be
displayed.
You can also search by utilize key works. For example, if you want to find a list of wire that is purple
stranded and plenum, you can type purple stranded plenum in the search box and click search and a list
of products that match that search criteria will be displayed.
Advanced Search Parameters
The search also supports advanced features using a combination of special characters. These special
characters are summarized below.

() to wrap around content


| to separate keywords
- to remove keywords from search
* wildcard character

Below are some examples on how to use these special characters in the search.

(nike | adidas) & -(shoes | hats)  returns matches for nike OR adidas AND removes
any shoes OR hats
nike | adidas | shoes | hats  returns nike OR adidas OR shoes OR hats
ni*  will match any keyword that starts with “ni”

You can use these special characters in different combinations to return different results.
Product Category Search
An alternative method to search for products is to use the Product Category located on the left side of
the page. The category of products available in this list is determined based upon your account.

Next to each category entry in the Product Category is a reference for the number of products that are
contained in that grouping. To drill down to sub categories, simply click the link. Once you do so, the
category you selected will be moved to the top of the list and the sub categories will be displayed. The
list of products that match your selected items will automatically be adjusted in the product listing.
You can utilize the bread-crumbs above the search results to drill back up to a previously selected item
by simply clicking the desired link.

In addition to the Product Category, you can also utilize the filters or facets below the Product Category
to narrow down the list of items. These filters are typically product attributes that will help you to refine
the results. We continue to add additional facets and filters throughout the year.
Sorting and Product List Display
You can control certain aspects of the display by utilizing various buttons on the product list page.

Sort Order

This feature will sort items either by popularity (based on user clicks), List Pricing, or by name. Selecting
the appropriate value from the list will change the order of products in the results you have selected

Items Per Page

By default, iPortal will display 12 items per page. If you would like to increase the number of items
displayed on your page you can select the appropriate value from the drop down. In addition, you can
utilize the page numbers to link to the desired page.
Grid View vs List View

By default, iPortal will display the products in a grid view. If you would like to display the products in a
more traditional list, you can select the appropriate blue button at the top right hand side of the product
list.

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